October 2008

SENATOR McCAIN: ...I'm very, very happy to know that five former secretaries of state who I admire enormously--Henry Kissinger, Jim Baker, Larry Eagleburger, Al Hague--Jim Baker, Henry Kissinger, Al Hague, Larry Eagleburger and one other, and over 200 retired flag general--generals and admirals are supporting my campaign. I'm very proud of their support.

TOM BROKAW: Senator, we opened today with a--how you're doing in Iowa. The Des Moines Register has endorsed...

SENATOR McCAIN: George Shultz. George Shultz is the other one.

If the President of the United States is the "leader of the free world", then why don't the constituents of the free world get a vote?

In a nation where the electoral system is a veritable dog's breakfast, the election of a POTUS is the result of a mish-mash of (to mix animal metaphors) "first-past-the-post" systems. Which means that, unlike Australia, you can't allocate votes for your local POTUS Electoral Collegians on a preferential basis. It's all or nothing for the candidate of your choice.

Not just quote of the week, but a nominee for the 2008 Gold Rummy from New South Wales Premier, Nathan Rees, speaking about traffic congestion in a keynote address to the 9th World Congress of Metropolis in Sydney on October 23:

"Congestion is a concern for all Sydneysiders and if you think you are in traffic, you are in traffic. It's not a relative concept.

"It's like being in love. If you think you are in love, you are in love. If you think you are in traffic, you are in traffic."

This US Navy video shows what a great place Diego Garcia is for your next tour of duty. Unless, of course, you and your forebears lived there until 1971 when kicked out to make way for said militia. Hey, it's almost screaming out to host a remake of McHale's Navy...

A disappointing verdict in the British House of Lords today, with citizens of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, forcibly evicted in the early 1970s, losing an appeal to reverse a decision preventing their return to their home.

I've been trying to think of a movie that best illustrates the current Major Economic Spasm (MES) gripping the more affluent parts of the world, but the problem I have had over the past few weeks is that the plot keeps evolving. But finally I have decided.

Firstly, I was going for the obvious and superficial, and chose "Wall Street". But it soon became clear that a better pick would be "Enron - The Smartest Guys In The Room".

How could it be that Iceland, the home of Bjork (and indeed the entire Sugarcubes), Lazy Town, and the Olympic silver medal-winning men's handball team, could suddenly become the Nauru of the North Atlantic?

Now that Flash Gordon has invoked anti-terrorism laws against the subversive Icelanders, could we be heading towards Cod War II?

Or could Iceland become another geopolitical service of Gazprom?

Oh dear. Bangladesh cricket was supposed to have been gutted when their best players were poached to play for the Dhaka Warriors in the new ICL season, which starts tomorrow. Though not quite a second XI, only one player making his ODI debut, Bangladesh's first-ever limited-over win against New Zealand today is one heckuva triumph.

And the World's Best ODI Bowler went for 9-0-48-0.